Natural Beaver Recovery

If beaver restoration is a goal for all of the benefits that beavers can bring to broken landscapes, how can we help beavers re-establish across our landscapes without access to relocated ‘problem beavers’?

First, we must appreciate that natural systems work on their own timeline, not ours. 

As history reveals over and over again, well-intended attempts to control nature, forced at scale on human timelines, often fall short or create bigger problems for the natural order of things. Taking time in our approach to better understand and work within natural cycles is essential.

Second, we believe that pursuing thoughtful, measured and adaptive ‘process-based’ solutions that working thoughtfully with nature will yield better, long term results.  

“Natural systems work on their own timeline, not ours”

Like all living species, beavers have their own agency. We believe the best outcomes for long term beaver restoration – will come naturally – creating the space for individual beavers or families to choose for themselves where to settle and invest in dam building and den building.

What then are the steps that humans can take to support beaver success – at a stream, river or lake near you?

• Help provide beavers what they need to succeed. Consider “BeaverHOODs” as a roadmap. Population pressures, degradation of stream and watershed health and loss of good habitat exist at the root of beaver absence from our Oregon landscapes.  Addressing habitat must be addressed in order for beaver populations to recover. 
• Support management practices that reduce the ‘taking’ of beavers
• Share the good work of beavers on the landscape with a neighbor or friend

Want beaver on lands that you steward, but don’t know where to start? Contact us for a conversation by phone, or arrange for an onsite visit and Beaver Habitat Assessment.

(541) 699-1606 or [email protected]